Flat panel electronic display devices such as LCD and plasma displays offer many advantages over conventional CRT and rear projection displays, such as improved picture resolution, elimination of screen flicker, and greatly decreased physical dimensions. Consequently, flat panel displays are becoming commonplace in business and residential settings.
Often, it is desirable to mount a flat panel display from a fixed structure such as a wall, ceiling, column or other structural feature. Consequently, specialized mounts have been developed to enable displays to be mounted from fixed structures, while also enabling selective positioning of the display for visibility or convenience.
Some prior adjustably positionable mounts include various arrangements of brackets and arms to enable tilting of the display screen. Examples of such tilt mounts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,363 to Boele and U.S. Published Patent Application No. US20020033436A1 by Peng, et. al. A drawback of such simple tilt devices wherein the tilt axis passes through the mount behind the display is that the display tends to tip forward or backward about the tilt axis unless it is held in the desired position with friction or other mechanical locking devices. In that large flat panel display devices, particularly plasma displays, can be quite heavy and unwieldy, it can be difficult for an individual to simultaneously lift the display in the desired position and manipulate the mechanical locking device to fix the display in position.
In other prior mounts, this drawback is overcome by locating the tilt axis of the display within the display itself, preferably proximate the display center of gravity. Such mounting devices are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,905,101 to Dittmer and 7,028,961 to Dittmer, et. al., each hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.
Due to the wide variations in display configuration it can sometimes be difficult to position the display on these prior mounts so that the tilt axis passes through or proximate the center of gravity so that the display is balanced. If the display is not balanced, it will tend to tip up or down on the mount unless restrained by friction or a locking mechanism, thereby presenting the drawbacks of prior art mounts. Although different mounts can be made for each model display so that the tilt axis is properly positioned for that model, this approach adds manufacturing and production cost and leads to complexity of installation.
What is still needed in the industry is a mount for attaching a variety of makes and models of flat panel electronic displays to a fixed structure that also enables the display to be balanced about its center of gravity so as to be easily manipulated by an individual.